Dolphin



H. BLUM DOLPHIN I Filed Dec. 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aim-my.

Oct-21, 1936. 1H, BLUM 2,058,402

' DOLPHIN I Filed Dec. 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fly' Patented Oct. 27, 1936 PATENT FFlCE DOLPHIN Hermann Blum, Dortmund, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Dortmund-Hoerder Huttenverein Aktiengesellschaft, Dortmund,

Germany Application December 6, 1933, Serial No. 701,167 In Germany December 30, 1932 8 Claims.

Dolphins are known which are either rigid or flexible and which consist of. driven piles. Rigid piles can withstand very high stresses and bending moments; they have, however, the disadvantage that high stresses applied suddenly are prejudicial, both to dolphin and to vessel. Furthermore, such dolphins are expensive to manufacture by reason of the considerable amount of work required in preparing the piles and by reason of the fact that the piles have to be rammed home to slope in various directions. The flexible dolphin (compound dolphin) avoids the disadvantages hereinbefore referred to, but a dolphin of this construction cannot withstand high pressures or bending moments.

The invention avoids the disadvantages of both constructions that are hereinbefore referred to and combines the advantages, namely a high degree of. flexibility and great powers of resistance.

According to the invention a dolphin composed of a number of piles stiffened with respect to each other at their heads and intended for use in deep water have each two adjacent piles, and also if necessary each two opposite piles, connected together by diagonal members which are of nonrigid construction and/or are non-rigidly connected to the piles and become operative only after the piles have been stressed to a predetermined limit. By the use of the term non-rigid it is intended to exclude from consideration all cases in which diagonal members are of rigid form and are rigidly connected or secured to the piles.

The diagonal members may be constructed with resilient sliding or spring elements.

When such dolphins are subjected to the stresses imposed by the contact of a vessel therewith, the piles at first bend separately and resiliently as in the case of. a flexible dolphin until the determined limit for the stresses is reached when the diagonal members come into operation to set up in the dolphin a high degree of resistance to further bending.

Several constructions of the dolphin according to the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows in section a dolphin unloaded. The diagonal members a and b hang loosely.

Figure 2 is a corresponding view of the same dolphin under load.

Figure 3 shows in plan a four pile dolphin. The diagonal members a, b shown in dotted lines are provided, for example, only on the outside.

Figure 4 illustrates a six pile dolphin, which is stifiened by diagonal members both at the sides and diagonally.

Figure 5 illustrates a dolphin stressed by a steamer moored thereto. The direction of the pressure of the ship against the dolphin is indicated by the arrow. 1

The membe-r'f (Figures 1, 2 and 5) transmits the load-p uniformly to both piles (1 so that these bend as shown in Figure 2 orFigure 3. The bending becomes so great that the diagonal member a is tensioned. Any further load will then not involve any addition to the bending stress imposed on the piles d, as the whole system is in stable equilibrium as a triangular structure and receives in addition only axial stresses. Advantageously the diagonals are pivotally connected to the piles d at the positions 0. An adjustable coupling e serves to regulate the amount of tension. Furthermore, sliding or spring bodies g may be introduced into the diagonal members onally between certain of the piles that are oppositely disposed.

It is a matter of no consequence of what the piles are made; thus they may be of wood, reinforced concrete or iron. Furthermore, the invention is not concerned as to whether the diagonals are provided to absorb tensional or compressive stresses, or as to how the connections to the piles are made; these connections may, for example, be resilient.

I claim:

1. A dolphin intended for use in deep water, composed of a number of piles, stiffening members disposed between adjacent piles at their heads, and non-rigid tension members connected diagonally between each two adjacent piles, which non-rigid tension members become operative to stifien the structure only after the piles have been stressed to a predetermined limit.

2. A dolphin intended for use in deep water, composed of a number of piles, stiffening members disposed between adjacent piles at their heads, and non-rigid tension members connected diagonally between each two adjacent piles and each two oppositely disposed piles, which nonrigid tension members become operative to stiffen the structure only after the piles have been stressed to a predetermined limit.

3. A dolphin intended for use in deep water, composed of a number of piles, stiffening members disposed between adjacent piles at their heads, and tension members non-rigidly connected between each two adjacent piles diagonally between, which non-rigidly connected tension members become operative to stiffen the structure only after the piles have been stressed to a predetermined limit.

4. A dolphin intended for use in deep water, composed of a number of piles, stifiening members disposed between adjacent piles at their heads, and tension members non-rigidly connected diagonally between each two adjacent piles and each two oppositely disposed piles, which nonrigidly connected tension members become operative to stiffen the structure only after the piles have been stressed to a predetermined limit.

5. A dolphin intended for use in deep water, composed of a number of piles, stiffenirg members disposed between adjacent piles at their heads, and non-rigid tension members comprising resilient or spring elements connecting each two adjacent piles and lying diagonally in relation thereto, which tension members become operative to stifien the structure only after the piles have been stressed to a predetermined limit.

6. A dolphin intended for use in deep water, composed of a number of piles, stiffening members disposed between adjacent piles at their heads, and non-rigid members connecting each two adjacent piles and lying diagonally in relation thereto, which members comprise elements subject to variation in length under stress and become operative to stifien the structure only after the piles have been stressed to a predetermined limit.

7. A dolphin intended for use in deep water, composed of a number of piles, stifiening members disposed between adjacent piles at their heads, and tie members, and resilient connections by which said tie members are connected to each two adjacent piles so as to lie diagonally in relation to the said piles, the said members becoming operative to stiffen the structure only after the piles have been stressed to a predetermined limit.

8. A dolphin intended for use in deep water, composed of a number of piles, stiffening members disposed between adjacent piles at their heads, and tie members, and resilient connections by which said tie members are connected to each two adjacent piles so as to lie diagonally in relation to the piles, and each two oppositely disposed piles, the said members becoming operative to stiffen the structure only after the piles have been stressed to a predetermined limit.

HERMANN BLUM. 

